Scooter sales rocket with gas prices

George Latham, owner of T-Town Motorsports in Tuscaloosa, stands in the showroom of his store on Wednesday. Latham sells scooters, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles.

Staff photo | Dan Lopez

By Matt HawkStaff Writer

Published: Monday, June 9, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 11:21 p.m.

Motorcycle enthusiast, family man and real estate agent Tony Mazzola, 47, of Birmingham always knew he would one day re-embrace the two-wheeled passion of his youth.

(Video at bottom of story)

He just never thought the price of gasoline would be a deciding factor.

“I was trying to find a way to save gas versus the [Chevy] Tahoe I was driving,” Mazzola said Tuesday. “A 23-mile per gallon tank was costing me about $85, $95, depending on where I got my gas.”

Traveling more than 400 miles a week as part of his job with Time 2 Move Realty of Birmingham, Mazzola said that easily translated into $700 to $800 in gas a month.

Two weeks after buying a 500-cubic centimeter engine, Piaggio motor scooter from T-Town Motorsports in Parkview Center, Mazzola said he now gets 55 miles per gallon, which he estimates will save him between $300 and $400 a month in gas.

While thrilled to be back on a bike, Mazzola said he especially enjoys the added shot of nostalgia he now gets with each trip to the gas station. While the gas tank of his scooter holds just 3.5 gallons, he still gets over 150 miles per fill-up.

“It’s shell shock for me to look up [at the pump] and see $12 or $9,” Mazzola said. “When you look at the total, you think you’re back in the old days.”

Alternative wheels

Faced with the combined economic impact of $4-per-gallon gas, long daily commutes and the inefficiencies of gas-guzzling trucks and sport utility vehicles, many Americans are turning to motorcycles and their less flashy cousins, motor scooters, to save fuel and money.

Despite a slight dip in total motorcycle sales — attributed to the impact of a weak economy on sales of high-end motorcycles like Harley-Davidson — 2007 remained the third best year on record for motorcycle sales, with interest in fuel-

efficient motor scooters at a 20-year high, according to the California-based Motorcycle Industry Council, a nonprofit trade organization.

George Latham, owner of

T- Town Motorsports, said nationally, scooter sales grew about 26 percent from 2006 based just on sales of Vespa and Piaggio, two of the better known brands. And Tuscaloosa residents are starting to get in on the action.

“We’re getting more and more [customers] every day,” Latham said. “They’re looking for a break on gas prices.”

While nearly identical to motorcycles internally, motor scooters are generally more ergonomic and have features like floorboards, step-through seating and automatic transmissions for ease of use.

Latham said the scooters appeal to the older crowd, who find them less intimidating than traditional motorcycles.

“I sold a scooter just like Tony’s to a gentleman, 72, two weeks ago,” Latham said.

Safety, he said, is a top concern for potential scooter buyers, keenly aware that a 300-pound scooter stands little chance against a 2-ton car or 4-ton pickup truck.

Their fears are not unfounded. In 2005, the latest year with complete data, the death rate for scooter riders was 129 per million scooters registered, compared with 78 per million for cars and light trucks, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

That’s still five times lower, however, than the 645 deaths per million rate for motorcycles.

Latham said driving a scooter does require a higher level of awareness and a keener eye for danger than driving a car, but most of the same rules still apply.

“It definitely involves defensive driving,” Latham said. “You want to always be aware of what your surroundings are and have an escape route.”

Scooter image

Aesthetic issues are also sometimes a concern. Tiny compared to a truck or SUV, and tamer-looking than the black and chrome, low-slung cruisers of outlaw biker fame, scooters have traditionally faced an uphill battle for popularity in a culture where status is often directly related to the size of one’s toys.

“There’s been statements, especially from males that drive up in a four-wheel drive pickup to the effect of ‘I’m not going to ride a scooter,’ ” Latham said. “They’re worried about their image.”

Americans are also accustomed to thinking of motorcycles and scooters as recreational vehicles, thanks to modern urban planning and road management that, until gas prices started to climb, made large vehicles and multicar families the norm.

By contrast, scooters and motorcycles are the predominant form of transportation in Europe and Asia, given their consistently high fuel prices, expensive vehicle registration fees and narrow, often maze-like road systems.

Latham said as scooters become more common on the road and gas prices make an image even more expensive to maintain, the attitude toward scooters will change.

Mazzola said the increased thickness of his wallet more than cushions any blows riding a scooter might deliver to his ego.

“I’m saving money and that’s what matters,” he said. “I don’t even want to think what I’d spend on [the Tahoe] right now.”

Fuel-efficient

The 50 cc engine scooters get the best mileage, about 100 mile per gallon, and are the cheapest at $1,099 to $1,599. But with a top speed of only 35 miles per hour, the range and use of such scooters are limited.

“You wouldn’t want to take it on a highway,” Latham said. “Maybe not even McFarland Boulevard.”

They’re perfect, however, for people with short commutes like David Ford, a professor of management at the University of Alabama. Ford, who lives seven blocks from the university, said he intends to buy a small scooter to commute to work, and leave his pickup truck for the occasional long haul.

Ford has his eye on a Vespa model.

“It’s cheap on gas, it’s convenient, it’s cool and it’s got great storage,” Ford said. “The one we looked at comes with a big box on the back so I can even use it to go to the grocery store.”

Latham said the small scooters are also popular among college students at southeastern schools like the University of Florida, and are starting to make inroads into UA.

Cathy Andreen, spokewsoman for UA, said that starting Aug. 1, students with motorcycles or scooters will be required to register them with Transportation Services and purchase a $50 parking pass.

Andreen said the policy is in response to the growing number of motorcycles and scooters on campus, which she attributes to high gas prices.

Whether the sale of fuel-

efficient scooters will translate into a financial boon for the motorcycle industry remains to be seen. The same high fuel prices that have made scooters more popular also increase material and transportation costs, which eats into industry profits.

The weak economy, meanwhile, is taking its toll on other aspects of the industry. In April, Milwaukee, Wis.-based motorcycle manufacturer Harley-

Davidson announced it would cut 730 jobs and slash its 2008 earnings forecast because of slumping sales.

Ford said the economy is unlikely to affect sales of motor scooters, which cost several thousand dollars less than their high-end cousins.

“If you’re looking for an inexpensive thing, they’re not going to buy a Harley,” Ford said.

Latham said he expects the popularity of scooters to grow, and is gearing up to market his models to university students when they return in the fall. Mazzola, meanwhile, said he plans to spread the word.

“I will be getting a tag today that’s going to read ‘65-MPG’ on the back,” Mazzola said. “That’s where I expect to top out. It’s going to be a little food for thought for people on the road.”

<p>Motorcycle enthusiast, family man and real estate agent Tony Mazzola, 47, of Birmingham always knew he would one day re-embrace the two-wheeled passion of his youth.</p><p><b>(Video at bottom of story)</b></p><p>He just never thought the price of gasoline would be a deciding factor. </p><p>I was trying to find a way to save gas versus the [Chevy] Tahoe I was driving, Mazzola said Tuesday. A 23-mile per gallon tank was costing me about $85, $95, depending on where I got my gas. </p><p>Traveling more than 400 miles a week as part of his job with Time 2 Move Realty of Birmingham, Mazzola said that easily translated into $700 to $800 in gas a month. </p><p>Two weeks after buying a 500-cubic centimeter engine, Piaggio motor scooter from T-Town Motorsports in Parkview Center, Mazzola said he now gets 55 miles per gallon, which he estimates will save him between $300 and $400 a month in gas. </p><p>While thrilled to be back on a bike, Mazzola said he especially enjoys the added shot of nostalgia he now gets with each trip to the gas station. While the gas tank of his scooter holds just 3.5 gallons, he still gets over 150 miles per fill-up.</p><p>It’s shell shock for me to look up [at the pump] and see $12 or $9, Mazzola said. When you look at the total, you think you’re back in the old days. </p><p>Alternative wheels</p><p>Faced with the combined economic impact of $4-per-gallon gas, long daily commutes and the inefficiencies of gas-guzzling trucks and sport utility vehicles, many Americans are turning to motorcycles and their less flashy cousins, motor scooters, to save fuel and money.</p><p>Despite a slight dip in total motorcycle sales  attributed to the impact of a weak economy on sales of high-end motorcycles like Harley-Davidson  2007 remained the third best year on record for motorcycle sales, with interest in fuel-</p><p>efficient motor scooters at a 20-year high, according to the California-based Motorcycle Industry Council, a nonprofit trade organization. </p><p>George Latham, owner of </p><p>T- Town Motorsports, said nationally, scooter sales grew about 26 percent from 2006 based just on sales of Vespa and Piaggio, two of the better known brands. And Tuscaloosa residents are starting to get in on the action.</p><p>We’re getting more and more [customers] every day, Latham said. They’re looking for a break on gas prices. </p><p>While nearly identical to motorcycles internally, motor scooters are generally more ergonomic and have features like floorboards, step-through seating and automatic transmissions for ease of use. </p><p>Latham said the scooters appeal to the older crowd, who find them less intimidating than traditional motorcycles.</p><p>I sold a scooter just like Tony’s to a gentleman, 72, two weeks ago, Latham said. </p><p>Safety, he said, is a top concern for potential scooter buyers, keenly aware that a 300-pound scooter stands little chance against a 2-ton car or 4-ton pickup truck.</p><p>Their fears are not unfounded. In 2005, the latest year with complete data, the death rate for scooter riders was 129 per million scooters registered, compared with 78 per million for cars and light trucks, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.</p><p>That’s still five times lower, however, than the 645 deaths per million rate for motorcycles. </p><p>Latham said driving a scooter does require a higher level of awareness and a keener eye for danger than driving a car, but most of the same rules still apply.</p><p>It definitely involves defensive driving, Latham said. You want to always be aware of what your surroundings are and have an escape route. </p><p>Scooter image</p><p>Aesthetic issues are also sometimes a concern. Tiny compared to a truck or SUV, and tamer-looking than the black and chrome, low-slung cruisers of outlaw biker fame, scooters have traditionally faced an uphill battle for popularity in a culture where status is often directly related to the size of one’s toys.</p><p>There’s been statements, especially from males that drive up in a four-wheel drive pickup to the effect of I’m not going to ride a scooter,’  Latham said. They’re worried about their image. </p><p>Americans are also accustomed to thinking of motorcycles and scooters as recreational vehicles, thanks to modern urban planning and road management that, until gas prices started to climb, made large vehicles and multicar families the norm.</p><p>By contrast, scooters and motorcycles are the predominant form of transportation in Europe and Asia, given their consistently high fuel prices, expensive vehicle registration fees and narrow, often maze-like road systems.</p><p>Latham said as scooters become more common on the road and gas prices make an image even more expensive to maintain, the attitude toward scooters will change.</p><p>Mazzola said the increased thickness of his wallet more than cushions any blows riding a scooter might deliver to his ego.</p><p>I’m saving money and that’s what matters, he said. I don’t even want to think what I’d spend on [the Tahoe] right now.</p><p>Fuel-efficient</p><p>The 50 cc engine scooters get the best mileage, about 100 mile per gallon, and are the cheapest at $1,099 to $1,599. But with a top speed of only 35 miles per hour, the range and use of such scooters are limited.</p><p>You wouldn’t want to take it on a highway, Latham said. Maybe not even McFarland Boulevard.</p><p>They’re perfect, however, for people with short commutes like David Ford, a professor of management at the University of Alabama. Ford, who lives seven blocks from the university, said he intends to buy a small scooter to commute to work, and leave his pickup truck for the occasional long haul.</p><p>Ford has his eye on a Vespa model. </p><p>It’s cheap on gas, it’s convenient, it’s cool and it’s got great storage, Ford said. The one we looked at comes with a big box on the back so I can even use it to go to the grocery store.</p><p>Latham said the small scooters are also popular among college students at southeastern schools like the University of Florida, and are starting to make inroads into UA. </p><p>Cathy Andreen, spokewsoman for UA, said that starting Aug. 1, students with motorcycles or scooters will be required to register them with Transportation Services and purchase a $50 parking pass. </p><p>Andreen said the policy is in response to the growing number of motorcycles and scooters on campus, which she attributes to high gas prices. </p><p>Whether the sale of fuel-</p><p>efficient scooters will translate into a financial boon for the motorcycle industry remains to be seen. The same high fuel prices that have made scooters more popular also increase material and transportation costs, which eats into industry profits.</p><p>The weak economy, meanwhile, is taking its toll on other aspects of the industry. In April, Milwaukee, Wis.-based motorcycle manufacturer Harley-</p><p>Davidson announced it would cut 730 jobs and slash its 2008 earnings forecast because of slumping sales.</p><p>Ford said the economy is unlikely to affect sales of motor scooters, which cost several thousand dollars less than their high-end cousins.</p><p>If you’re looking for an inexpensive thing, they’re not going to buy a Harley, Ford said.</p><p>Latham said he expects the popularity of scooters to grow, and is gearing up to market his models to university students when they return in the fall. Mazzola, meanwhile, said he plans to spread the word.</p><p>I will be getting a tag today that’s going to read 65-MPG’ on the back, Mazzola said. That’s where I expect to top out. It’s going to be a little food for thought for people on the road.</p><embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/294377112" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=1595738466&playerId=294377112&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://services.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="600" height="450" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed>